The Grandest Challenge

Book excerpt: The Grandest Challenge begins with a simple premise: that every person's life is of equal value, regardless of where in the world he or she lives. It also begins with an alarming fact: that in this age of spectacular scientific advances, it is still those who live in the developed world--mainly the west--who overwhelmingly benefit from our enormous new power to combat disease and enhance food, while those in the developing world are far more likely to die for lack of basic health care and inexpensive nutrition. As personalized medicine, designer drugs, and high-quality nutrients become more readily available than ever in the richest parts of the world, distinguished doctors Abdallah Daar and Peter Singer urge us to pause and ask these vital questions: Who will have access to the life-enhancing advances of biotechnology? And who are these advances ultimately meant to help? In this challenging, controversial, thought-provoking, and humane book, Daar and Singer inspire us to look more deeply at our new science, and at the revolution that is already changing all of our lives.